WEBVTT 00:00:00.660 --> 00:00:05.940 I'm going to read scripture for us, the passage that David's very shortly going to come and speak to us from. 00:00:06.520 --> 00:00:10.900 ! This is Luke chapter 12, verses 35 to 48. 00:00:11.740 --> 00:00:14.880 If you've got a church Bible, it's on page 871. 00:00:15.080 --> 00:00:19.219 If you've not got a church Bible and you'd like one, they're just on the table at the back there. 00:00:20.260 --> 00:00:23.500 The words are also in the bulletin if you've got one, and they'll be on screen. 00:00:26.019 --> 00:00:27.060 This is God's word. 00:00:27.059 --> 00:00:57.039 It says, 00:00:57.060 --> 00:01:02.260 If the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. 00:01:02.900 --> 00:01:07.040 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. 00:01:07.980 --> 00:01:11.859 Peter said, Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all? 00:01:12.540 --> 00:01:18.579 And the Lord said, Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, 00:01:18.900 --> 00:01:22.040 to give them their portion of food at the proper time? 00:01:22.760 --> 00:01:26.260 Blessed is that servant, whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 00:01:27.060 --> 00:01:29.920 Truly I say to you, he will set them over all his possessions. 00:01:30.660 --> 00:01:33.540 But if that servant says to himself, My master is delayed in coming, 00:01:34.020 --> 00:01:38.000 and begins to beat the male and female servants into eat and drink and get drunk, 00:01:38.180 --> 00:01:41.880 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him, 00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:44.500 and an hour when he does not know. 00:01:45.580 --> 00:01:49.060 And he will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. 00:01:49.600 --> 00:01:54.600 And that servant who knew his master's will, but did not get ready or act according to his will, 00:01:54.760 --> 00:01:55.920 will receive a severe beating. 00:01:56.260 --> 00:02:02.100 But the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. 00:02:02.980 --> 00:02:07.160 Everyone to whom much was given of, of much will be required. 00:02:07.540 --> 00:02:13.020 And from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more. 00:02:13.800 --> 00:02:14.159 Amen. 00:02:14.159 --> 00:02:15.500 This is God's word. 00:02:18.500 --> 00:02:26.139 We come this evening to our final sermon on our evening series, 00:02:26.379 --> 00:02:31.979 The Call to Discipleship, looking through Luke chapter 9 through 12. 00:02:31.979 --> 00:02:41.299 And so if you have a Bible, please turn to Luke 12 and verse 35 into that passage that Chris read for us. 00:02:42.079 --> 00:02:50.819 The story is told of the famous 19th century scientist, agnostic, Thomas Huxley. 00:02:50.819 --> 00:03:07.000 He was visiting Ireland for some speaking engagements, and on one occasion he was leaving his Dublin hotel in a hurry to catch a cab to the train station in order to get to a meeting in the north of Ireland. 00:03:07.000 --> 00:03:13.979 And he assumed that the doorman at the hotel had told the cab driver where he was to go. 00:03:14.680 --> 00:03:24.240 And so he rushed out of the hotel, he jumped into the carriage, and he shouted to the driver to hurry up and to get there as fast as he could. 00:03:24.240 --> 00:03:39.480 A few minutes later, he looked out of the window of his carriage to realize that it was moving at breakneck speed through the city streets in the direct opposite direction from the railway station. 00:03:40.560 --> 00:03:48.340 And so he asked the driver, he shouted to the driver if he knew where he was going, to which the man replied, 00:03:48.340 --> 00:03:52.620 No, sir, but I'm going there as fast as I can. 00:03:52.620 --> 00:04:00.620 And there's a sense in which that story is a kind of parable of our cultural moments. 00:04:01.379 --> 00:04:06.980 We have no idea where we're going, but we are going there as fast as we can. 00:04:09.780 --> 00:04:20.199 Scientific technological progress continues apace, but there is often absolutely no direction to it. 00:04:20.199 --> 00:04:27.479 In many respects, we live in a society that has lost hope in the future. 00:04:28.599 --> 00:04:39.360 A recent survey of young people published, I think maybe a year or two ago, highlighted that anxiety about the future was a major issue for youngsters. 00:04:40.659 --> 00:04:46.680 As Woody Allen once quipped, the future isn't what it used to be. 00:04:46.680 --> 00:04:52.639 The dreams, the dreams, the visions, the hopes of the past have failed. 00:04:53.639 --> 00:05:00.019 No aim, no goal, no vision, no reference point to guide us. 00:05:00.780 --> 00:05:03.579 Nothing from which to set our compass. 00:05:03.579 --> 00:05:14.859 I suspect this may account for the impatience of our modern culture, which must have everything now. 00:05:15.419 --> 00:05:18.459 We don't want to defer anything to the future. 00:05:19.159 --> 00:05:21.060 We don't want to save for anything. 00:05:21.259 --> 00:05:23.259 We want to buy it now. 00:05:24.060 --> 00:05:30.519 And that's why so many people today think that life does consist in the abundance of one's possessions. 00:05:30.519 --> 00:05:31.519 Why? 00:05:31.519 --> 00:05:39.639 Because there appears no alternative vision to the materialistic, secular gods of our age. 00:05:40.680 --> 00:05:53.919 And the result is a society which, despite all its material wealth, is often characterized by disillusionment, despair, apathy, anxiety, insecurity, cynicism. 00:05:53.920 --> 00:06:02.400 A lack of vision for the future tears the guts out of any culture. 00:06:03.680 --> 00:06:10.280 Very soon people have nothing to work for, nothing to save for, nothing to live for. 00:06:10.860 --> 00:06:14.700 Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you die. 00:06:14.699 --> 00:06:18.459 That is, this is the philosophy of our age. 00:06:19.000 --> 00:06:23.899 And that motto for the rich fool who we met in the earlier verses of this chapter. 00:06:24.620 --> 00:06:29.439 Get it all now because there's nothing else to live for. 00:06:30.939 --> 00:06:36.599 And in this section of Luke's gospel, Jesus has been addressing just this kind of outlook on life. 00:06:36.600 --> 00:06:46.400 He's been challenging the kind of lifestyle that exists just for the here and now and doesn't factor in what lies ahead. 00:06:47.080 --> 00:06:53.680 He wants His followers, His disciples, to be a people who live with the future in mind. 00:06:55.000 --> 00:07:01.180 He wants us to be a people storing up for ourselves treasure in heaven, not on earth. 00:07:01.560 --> 00:07:04.480 He wants us to live lives full of hope. 00:07:04.480 --> 00:07:09.360 He wants us to orientate our lives towards the future. 00:07:10.640 --> 00:07:15.720 And in these verses before us tonight, Jesus continues with this theme. 00:07:17.180 --> 00:07:24.680 And frequently in the gospels, as He does here, Jesus speaks of His return. 00:07:25.800 --> 00:07:30.700 You'll notice in verse 40, He talks about being ready for the Son of Man. 00:07:30.699 --> 00:07:38.199 That's a title that Jesus often uses of Himself in the gospels, taken from Daniel 7. 00:07:38.860 --> 00:07:42.479 It's coming at an hour you do not expect. 00:07:42.480 --> 00:07:54.780 It's important for us to understand, I think, that the second coming of Jesus Christ is not a kind of optional extra for the Christian faith. 00:07:54.860 --> 00:08:02.980 It is integral to the Bible's storyline and foundational, really, to Christian doctrine. 00:08:02.980 --> 00:08:16.120 It's a kind of teaching that has grown out of fashion in the modern age, and one that people are sometimes a little embarrassed about. 00:08:16.120 --> 00:08:27.560 But friends, it's not without reason that this teaching is included in all the major creeds and confessions of the Christian church. 00:08:27.560 --> 00:08:44.179 Because from the very beginning, Christians have universally held the conviction that Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly to end history, to judge the world, to bring salvation to His people. 00:08:44.179 --> 00:08:49.859 We might remember Jesus' words on the eve of His crucifixion in John 14. 00:08:50.399 --> 00:08:52.339 In my Father's house are many rooms. 00:08:52.739 --> 00:08:56.379 If it were not so, would I have told you that I go and prepare a place for you. 00:08:56.620 --> 00:09:04.719 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, that where I am, you may be also. 00:09:04.720 --> 00:09:11.500 And when Jesus ascended into heaven, we read of the disciples, Acts chapter 1, 00:09:11.500 --> 00:09:17.019 While they were gazing into heaven as He went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes and said, 00:09:17.259 --> 00:09:19.940 Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? 00:09:20.379 --> 00:09:28.180 This Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven. 00:09:28.920 --> 00:09:34.120 In other words, the King will come to… will return to claim His kingdom. 00:09:34.720 --> 00:09:41.279 And so, in the light of His return, what does Jesus look for and expect in His disciples? 00:09:41.980 --> 00:09:48.860 In a world that is so often materialistic to its core, how are we to live as His disciples? 00:09:49.600 --> 00:09:54.019 In a world dominated by the here and now, how are we to conduct ourselves? 00:09:54.580 --> 00:09:56.519 What is Jesus telling us here? 00:09:56.519 --> 00:10:08.519 He's telling us that the end point and the judgment to come is to control the way we think about life in the here and now. 00:10:09.639 --> 00:10:20.139 And these verses really contain in the main two parables designed to make us think about that future reality. 00:10:20.139 --> 00:10:25.559 The reckoning that will inevitably result. 00:10:26.620 --> 00:10:31.419 And I want to split the passage really into two sections here. 00:10:31.799 --> 00:10:37.580 The first part of the passage, the first parable really, is all about readiness, being ready. 00:10:37.960 --> 00:10:42.240 Jesus wants us to be ready for His coming. 00:10:42.240 --> 00:10:45.820 And we have that in verses 35 through 40. 00:10:46.700 --> 00:10:52.919 He doesn't want His followers to be unprepared for what will one day take place. 00:10:53.340 --> 00:11:00.720 And He illustrates with the picture of servants in a household waiting for their master to return from a wedding feast. 00:11:00.720 --> 00:11:07.360 Verse 35, stay dressed for action, keep your lamps burning. 00:11:08.320 --> 00:11:12.920 Literally, gird up your loins and keep your lamps burning. 00:11:13.040 --> 00:11:17.720 In ancient times, servants would often wear these long flowing robes. 00:11:17.840 --> 00:11:21.899 Sometimes these robes would impair movement and quick action. 00:11:22.300 --> 00:11:25.600 And so, they had to be girded up and tucked into the belt. 00:11:25.779 --> 00:11:28.500 So, that swift and ready action could be taken. 00:11:28.500 --> 00:11:34.080 Not only that, says Jesus, but the lights are to be left on. 00:11:34.340 --> 00:11:38.039 The servants are not to be floundering around in the darkness. 00:11:39.139 --> 00:11:44.480 Instead, they're to be in the light and they're to be ready for the master the instant He arrives. 00:11:45.840 --> 00:11:50.759 Verse 35, be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, 00:11:50.980 --> 00:11:55.600 so that they may open the door to Him at once when He comes and knocks. 00:11:55.600 --> 00:12:03.600 The wedding feast in ancient times, perhaps even today, could last some considerable time. 00:12:04.460 --> 00:12:07.920 No one actually quite knew when it might end, finish. 00:12:08.080 --> 00:12:10.940 The celebrations could go on and on and on. 00:12:11.420 --> 00:12:16.100 And the servants in the house would not know exactly when their master would return. 00:12:17.340 --> 00:12:22.100 Nonetheless, they are to be prepared and ready for that eventuality. 00:12:22.100 --> 00:12:30.060 Jesus doesn't want His followers asleep in the dark, in the wrong clothing. 00:12:30.860 --> 00:12:36.639 He wants them to be ready for action, ready to respond when He returns. 00:12:38.019 --> 00:12:42.180 I don't know if you've ever had to get up suddenly in the middle of the night, 00:12:42.179 --> 00:12:46.899 but sometimes that can be quite a disorientating experience. 00:12:47.339 --> 00:12:51.099 I remember some years ago at a conference in Creef Hydro, 00:12:51.899 --> 00:12:54.500 and I was woken up by a ringing sound. 00:12:55.299 --> 00:12:58.839 And I spend, I seem to spend about, I don't know how many minutes, 00:12:58.979 --> 00:13:02.519 several minutes trying to switch off my alarm clock, 00:13:03.479 --> 00:13:06.679 not understanding really why it wouldn't stop ringing. 00:13:06.679 --> 00:13:13.659 It turned out to be the fire alarm, and I was completely disorientated, 00:13:14.019 --> 00:13:18.639 certainly not ready for action until some time had elapsed. 00:13:19.379 --> 00:13:23.739 Jesus doesn't want us to be asleep in our pajamas with the light out. 00:13:24.459 --> 00:13:27.479 He wants us to be alert, awake, ready to respond. 00:13:28.039 --> 00:13:30.719 This is to be the posture of the Christian disciple. 00:13:30.720 --> 00:13:37.200 He wants us to be alert, awake, prepared, not slumped in the armchair of spiritual ease, 00:13:37.300 --> 00:13:41.160 not distracted by the things of this world, 00:13:41.279 --> 00:13:45.279 but standing like a servant who knows his master may knock at any hour. 00:13:47.180 --> 00:13:52.480 You may remember Peter in his first epistle writes this, 00:13:52.980 --> 00:13:55.440 therefore prepare your minds for action, 00:13:55.440 --> 00:13:59.360 and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace 00:13:59.360 --> 00:14:03.300 that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 00:14:04.320 --> 00:14:07.160 Jesus wants us to be living in the here and now 00:14:07.160 --> 00:14:10.680 with the ready expectation of his return. 00:14:11.480 --> 00:14:15.200 If the servants in the house are expecting their master at any time, 00:14:15.420 --> 00:14:16.420 then they will be ready. 00:14:17.280 --> 00:14:19.060 If they think he won't be coming back, 00:14:19.360 --> 00:14:21.640 then they will go to their beds and fall asleep. 00:14:21.639 --> 00:14:27.559 Friends, we live in a world that has been plunged into moral darkness. 00:14:28.600 --> 00:14:31.319 Many people are asleep in that darkness, 00:14:31.860 --> 00:14:36.379 and the Lord's return will be a shock and a surprise. 00:14:37.939 --> 00:14:40.980 For it's those that are ready and those that are awake 00:14:40.980 --> 00:14:43.939 who will receive great blessing from the master. 00:14:44.740 --> 00:14:46.500 Look at verses 37 and 38. 00:14:46.840 --> 00:14:50.919 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. 00:14:50.919 --> 00:14:54.179 Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service 00:14:54.179 --> 00:14:55.939 and have them recline at table, 00:14:56.139 --> 00:14:58.059 and he will come and serve them. 00:14:58.519 --> 00:15:00.799 If he comes in the second watch or the third 00:15:00.799 --> 00:15:03.879 and finds them awake, blessed are those servants. 00:15:05.799 --> 00:15:09.860 Easy to miss the striking response of the master here. 00:15:09.979 --> 00:15:11.620 Not at all what we might expect. 00:15:11.740 --> 00:15:16.039 He's so pleased to find them awake that he serves them. 00:15:16.699 --> 00:15:19.259 They enjoy a feast to celebrate his return. 00:15:19.259 --> 00:15:21.100 What a master this is. 00:15:21.819 --> 00:15:24.019 He's kind, he's gracious and thoughtful. 00:15:24.439 --> 00:15:26.720 The master, you see, becomes the servant. 00:15:27.620 --> 00:15:30.799 The Lord of the house waits on his own people at table. 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:33.639 You see what's being said here? 00:15:34.299 --> 00:15:39.179 It's, I think, a glimpse, really, of the upside-down kingdom of God. 00:15:39.740 --> 00:15:43.139 The one who came not to be served but to serve. 00:15:43.139 --> 00:15:45.559 The one who washed his disciples' feet. 00:15:45.779 --> 00:15:49.139 The one who on the cross took the very lowest place. 00:15:50.059 --> 00:15:53.879 That same Lord will one day welcome his faithful ones 00:15:53.879 --> 00:15:57.960 with a joy and an honor that they could scarcely imagine. 00:15:58.980 --> 00:16:02.340 It's not without reason that Jesus said to his followers, 00:16:02.340 --> 00:16:08.580 I am among you as one who serves because he is the servant king. 00:16:10.580 --> 00:16:13.780 But, of course, the servants don't know when the master will return. 00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:21.120 You may have had the experience of waiting in the house for a tradesman or someone to come. 00:16:22.060 --> 00:16:23.540 And you'll know that they often give a time. 00:16:23.539 --> 00:16:30.860 But experience tells us that often such appointment times are fiction and a fantasy. 00:16:31.559 --> 00:16:33.699 But if we're desperate to have the work done, 00:16:34.360 --> 00:16:39.099 we remain in the house waiting for the knock on the door, the ring of the bell. 00:16:39.719 --> 00:16:43.480 And we know that if we leave the house, even for a moment, 00:16:44.360 --> 00:16:48.360 when we return, there will be a card in the door saying that the tradesman called. 00:16:49.259 --> 00:16:50.099 No one was home. 00:16:50.100 --> 00:16:51.899 And so we get ready. 00:16:52.440 --> 00:16:53.920 And we watch out for their coming. 00:16:55.019 --> 00:17:00.080 And Jesus touches on this attitude, really, with a short parable in verses 37-40. 00:17:00.659 --> 00:17:01.779 Know this, he says, 00:17:01.899 --> 00:17:07.940 If the master, verse 39, of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, 00:17:08.059 --> 00:17:09.980 he would not have left this house to be broken into. 00:17:10.200 --> 00:17:13.920 You must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you don't expect. 00:17:15.620 --> 00:17:19.360 This timing is known only to God himself. 00:17:20.099 --> 00:17:25.799 Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5 that he will come like a thief in the night. 00:17:25.899 --> 00:17:27.259 There won't be a news bulletin. 00:17:27.639 --> 00:17:29.519 There won't be an announcement on the radio. 00:17:30.619 --> 00:17:34.259 Politicians, economists, religious leaders, governments, theologians, 00:17:34.359 --> 00:17:36.759 none of them know when the Lord will return. 00:17:36.759 --> 00:17:41.480 And so, you see, we must be in a constant state of readiness. 00:17:43.480 --> 00:17:54.559 And what Jesus is urging here is a mindset really that factors in the possibility of the Lord's return each day of our lives. 00:17:55.599 --> 00:17:59.240 He wants us to live today with the expectation of that great tomorrow. 00:17:59.240 --> 00:18:07.980 Robert Murray McShane once asked a group of ministers at a fraternal if they thought the Lord would return that day. 00:18:08.380 --> 00:18:11.559 He went round the group, and they all answered in the negatives. 00:18:11.559 --> 00:18:14.659 And then McShane simply said, 00:18:15.559 --> 00:18:18.440 At an hour ye expect not. 00:18:20.139 --> 00:18:30.639 It's a story told of a traveler who happened on a lovely secluded estate on the shore of one of Switzerland's tranquil lakes. 00:18:31.619 --> 00:18:32.679 He rang a bell at the gate. 00:18:32.819 --> 00:18:34.779 An aged caretaker invited him in. 00:18:34.779 --> 00:18:37.099 The caretaker was delighted to see the man. 00:18:37.180 --> 00:18:41.799 He escorted him through well-kept, pristine grounds. 00:18:42.539 --> 00:18:43.399 And the tourist asked, 00:18:43.460 --> 00:18:44.359 How long have you been here? 00:18:44.399 --> 00:18:44.660 He said, 00:18:44.720 --> 00:18:46.359 Well, 24 years. 00:18:47.019 --> 00:18:48.720 How often has your master returned? 00:18:48.940 --> 00:18:49.920 Four times. 00:18:50.720 --> 00:18:51.879 When was he last here? 00:18:52.299 --> 00:18:53.519 About 12 years ago. 00:18:54.259 --> 00:18:55.759 I'm almost always alone. 00:18:56.119 --> 00:18:57.720 Very seldom do I have a visitor. 00:18:58.720 --> 00:18:59.420 And the visitor, 00:19:00.119 --> 00:19:01.799 the tourist eager to pray, 00:19:01.799 --> 00:19:02.220 said, 00:19:02.220 --> 00:19:05.819 You have the gardens in such perfect condition. 00:19:06.140 --> 00:19:08.740 It's as if you were expecting your master tomorrow. 00:19:09.740 --> 00:19:10.600 No, sir. 00:19:10.740 --> 00:19:11.480 Came the correction. 00:19:12.180 --> 00:19:16.059 I have them ready as if he were coming today. 00:19:17.519 --> 00:19:20.980 And that's the attitude Jesus is looking for in his disciples. 00:19:21.980 --> 00:19:23.620 He's saying to us here in these verses, 00:19:23.940 --> 00:19:25.380 People, get ready. 00:19:26.579 --> 00:19:30.440 Live every day in expectation of Christ's return. 00:19:30.440 --> 00:19:33.799 We need to think about the Lord's return. 00:19:34.059 --> 00:19:36.120 Not so that we can speculate about it. 00:19:37.279 --> 00:19:40.960 But rather so that we might live in the light of its reality. 00:19:41.860 --> 00:19:47.680 And that our minds and hearts be prepared for our master's return. 00:19:49.180 --> 00:19:52.539 That brings me to the second thing here that Jesus teaches. 00:19:53.000 --> 00:19:55.160 Not just readiness or preparedness. 00:19:56.080 --> 00:19:58.080 But secondly, faithfulness. 00:19:58.079 --> 00:20:03.099 Jesus wants us to be faithful in his service. 00:20:03.619 --> 00:20:05.839 Yes, we have to have a mindset of readiness. 00:20:06.619 --> 00:20:09.539 But we then have to live lives of faithfulness. 00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:16.419 And this last section takes up the thought of service and stewardship in the kingdom of God. 00:20:16.639 --> 00:20:21.879 And a kind of contrast is drawn between those who are faithful managers or stewards 00:20:21.880 --> 00:20:24.160 and those who are unfaithful. 00:20:24.500 --> 00:20:27.540 Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all? 00:20:28.180 --> 00:20:28.840 And the Lord said, 00:20:28.920 --> 00:20:34.120 Who then is the faithful and wise manager whom his master will set over his household 00:20:34.120 --> 00:20:36.700 to give them their portion of food at the proper time? 00:20:37.360 --> 00:20:41.660 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 00:20:42.180 --> 00:20:43.260 Truly I say to you, 00:20:43.940 --> 00:20:46.220 he will set him over all his possessions. 00:20:46.220 --> 00:20:55.220 In Thessalonica, when Paul spoke about waiting for the Lord's return, 00:20:55.700 --> 00:21:01.460 some of the congregation there took him literally and just sat about waiting for him to arrive. 00:21:02.600 --> 00:21:04.940 But that's not really what Paul had taught them. 00:21:05.259 --> 00:21:07.200 And it's certainly not what Jesus taught. 00:21:08.259 --> 00:21:09.400 Here's some words. 00:21:09.400 --> 00:21:17.360 I do not think in the last 40 years I have lived one conscious hour 00:21:17.360 --> 00:21:22.360 that was not influenced by the thought of our Lord's return. 00:21:23.019 --> 00:21:27.120 Those words, famous words spoken by Anthony Ashley Cooper, 00:21:27.759 --> 00:21:29.720 better known as Lord Shaftesbury. 00:21:30.820 --> 00:21:34.040 A man who did more to improve the welfare of the poor 00:21:34.040 --> 00:21:38.420 and disadvantaged in 19th century Britain than any other individual. 00:21:39.400 --> 00:21:42.440 When you read his story, it is absolutely astonishing. 00:21:43.259 --> 00:21:45.080 He reformed the treatment of the insane, 00:21:45.660 --> 00:21:50.060 pioneered legislation against the exploitation of labor and factories, 00:21:50.600 --> 00:21:54.800 sponsored low-cost urban housing, free education for destitute children. 00:21:55.200 --> 00:21:56.700 One of his biographers writes, 00:21:57.000 --> 00:22:00.440 no one has done more to lessen the extent of human misery 00:22:00.440 --> 00:22:04.280 and add to the sum of total human happiness. 00:22:05.120 --> 00:22:06.259 And Shaftesbury was a Christian. 00:22:06.259 --> 00:22:09.379 He was a leader in the evangelical wing of the Church of England. 00:22:09.519 --> 00:22:12.660 He was president of the British and Foreign Bible Society. 00:22:13.779 --> 00:22:16.960 Sometimes Christians are accused of being too heavenly-minded 00:22:16.960 --> 00:22:19.119 to be of any earthly use. 00:22:20.259 --> 00:22:22.379 And Shaftesbury's life and testimony 00:22:22.379 --> 00:22:27.200 just shows how spurious and misguided that analysis is. 00:22:28.519 --> 00:22:32.500 Shaftesbury's biblical faith inspired his reforming zeal. 00:22:32.500 --> 00:22:37.839 And tragically, that kind of perspective 00:22:37.839 --> 00:22:42.200 is much diminished in many of our churches 00:22:42.200 --> 00:22:44.980 and perhaps even in our own hearts. 00:22:45.119 --> 00:22:49.640 Maybe that's why we make so little impact upon the world. 00:22:50.579 --> 00:22:52.619 Thinking about the Lord's return 00:22:52.619 --> 00:22:56.819 should inspire us to greater service in the here and now. 00:22:56.819 --> 00:23:01.000 It should encourage not a retreat from the world, 00:23:01.379 --> 00:23:03.879 but greater engagement with the world. 00:23:04.779 --> 00:23:07.379 A service not driven by fear, 00:23:07.839 --> 00:23:12.720 but by a longing and a desire to be ready for the Master we love. 00:23:13.659 --> 00:23:18.240 Because we know that He first loved us and wants to serve us. 00:23:19.159 --> 00:23:20.919 The faithful servant, Jesus says, 00:23:20.980 --> 00:23:24.639 will be given more responsibility when the Lord returns. 00:23:24.640 --> 00:23:28.720 His service or her service will be acknowledged and rewarded. 00:23:30.040 --> 00:23:32.680 And Jesus calls us to be faithful to Him 00:23:32.680 --> 00:23:35.700 and the calling that He has laid upon us. 00:23:36.160 --> 00:23:37.500 I think these verses, of course, 00:23:37.560 --> 00:23:40.680 they're applicable to ministers of the gospel, 00:23:40.920 --> 00:23:42.360 but to all of us as Christians. 00:23:43.280 --> 00:23:45.460 We are all, in a sense, stewards of the gospel. 00:23:45.940 --> 00:23:48.820 We've all been given responsibility by Christ 00:23:48.820 --> 00:23:49.840 to be faithful. 00:23:49.839 --> 00:23:54.759 Faithful husbands, faithful wives, faithful children, 00:23:55.199 --> 00:23:57.339 faithful employees, faithful neighbors. 00:23:59.199 --> 00:24:03.099 Jesus wants us to live out our relationship with Him 00:24:03.099 --> 00:24:08.220 with a faithfulness born of love and devotion to Him, 00:24:09.619 --> 00:24:10.699 our heavenly Master. 00:24:10.700 --> 00:24:14.940 But, He says, verse 45, 00:24:14.940 --> 00:24:17.600 if that servant says to himself, 00:24:17.759 --> 00:24:19.400 my Master is delayed in coming 00:24:19.400 --> 00:24:22.380 and begins to beat the male and female servants 00:24:22.380 --> 00:24:24.600 and to eat and drink and get drunk, 00:24:24.720 --> 00:24:26.620 the Master of that servant will come on a day 00:24:26.620 --> 00:24:27.779 when He does not expect Him, 00:24:28.460 --> 00:24:29.660 an hour He does not know, 00:24:30.660 --> 00:24:32.120 and He will cut Him in pieces 00:24:32.120 --> 00:24:33.480 and put Him with the unfaithful. 00:24:35.539 --> 00:24:38.920 It's interesting what the unfaithful servant says here. 00:24:38.920 --> 00:24:41.180 He says to Himself, 00:24:41.740 --> 00:24:44.840 my Master is delayed in coming. 00:24:46.180 --> 00:24:48.539 He says this in His heart to Himself. 00:24:48.960 --> 00:24:50.460 He doesn't say it out loud. 00:24:51.039 --> 00:24:52.340 He doesn't say it to others. 00:24:53.800 --> 00:24:55.220 He says it to Himself. 00:24:56.860 --> 00:24:59.259 Because faithfulness and unfaithfulness 00:24:59.259 --> 00:25:03.180 is always ultimately a matter of the heart. 00:25:04.400 --> 00:25:06.140 It begins there, 00:25:06.140 --> 00:25:08.820 in what we are telling ourselves. 00:25:09.360 --> 00:25:10.500 No one else might know, 00:25:11.460 --> 00:25:13.520 but God knows what's in your heart. 00:25:14.160 --> 00:25:16.580 He knows what you're saying to yourself. 00:25:17.240 --> 00:25:18.580 He knows what you're thinking. 00:25:19.620 --> 00:25:22.460 And yes, we can all put a good show on for others, 00:25:22.680 --> 00:25:24.660 but eventually the truth will out. 00:25:25.060 --> 00:25:26.040 All will be revealed. 00:25:27.300 --> 00:25:29.740 Unfaithfulness eventually works itself out 00:25:29.740 --> 00:25:31.200 in conduct and behavior. 00:25:31.200 --> 00:25:34.039 And that's why we need to guard our hearts. 00:25:34.680 --> 00:25:36.880 We need to love and cherish the Lord Jesus. 00:25:36.880 --> 00:25:38.440 We need to put Him first, 00:25:38.539 --> 00:25:40.340 because when we allow other things 00:25:40.340 --> 00:25:42.759 to worm their way into our affections, 00:25:43.140 --> 00:25:45.460 untold damage can be caused. 00:25:46.200 --> 00:25:48.480 We end up serving only ourselves. 00:25:49.559 --> 00:25:52.279 And so we must battle with desire 00:25:52.279 --> 00:25:55.460 and our misplaced desires and lusts 00:25:55.460 --> 00:25:57.539 that so often crave attention 00:25:57.539 --> 00:26:00.659 and control and excitement and status. 00:26:01.539 --> 00:26:03.619 Because these things can only be defeated 00:26:03.619 --> 00:26:05.559 by a much stronger desire. 00:26:06.299 --> 00:26:08.619 A desire for what is good and true and noble. 00:26:08.879 --> 00:26:10.720 A desire for Jesus Christ Himself. 00:26:11.740 --> 00:26:14.940 Only when our Christ is big enough to satisfy us 00:26:14.940 --> 00:26:18.480 can we become content in all circumstances. 00:26:19.599 --> 00:26:20.920 And that love for God, 00:26:21.099 --> 00:26:22.139 that love for Jesus, 00:26:22.440 --> 00:26:24.680 is the great effect, you see, of the gospel. 00:26:24.680 --> 00:26:29.840 It's this love that makes the world less attractive 00:26:29.840 --> 00:26:33.880 and enables us to resist the temptations of sin. 00:26:34.019 --> 00:26:35.960 It's this love that keeps us faithful, 00:26:36.299 --> 00:26:37.940 even in the hidden places. 00:26:38.620 --> 00:26:41.200 It's this love that causes us to stand 00:26:41.200 --> 00:26:43.080 in the day of trial and testing. 00:26:43.900 --> 00:26:45.660 And so time and time again, 00:26:45.820 --> 00:26:47.620 we must return to Christ 00:26:47.620 --> 00:26:50.860 and to His redeeming grace. 00:26:50.859 --> 00:26:56.199 And the servant who knew his master's will, 00:26:57.039 --> 00:27:00.219 but did not get ready or act according to his will, 00:27:00.799 --> 00:27:02.479 will receive a severe beating. 00:27:03.479 --> 00:27:05.019 But the one who did not know 00:27:05.019 --> 00:27:06.719 and did what deserved a beating 00:27:06.719 --> 00:27:08.119 will receive a light beating. 00:27:08.539 --> 00:27:10.219 And everyone to whom much was given, 00:27:10.299 --> 00:27:11.599 of him much will be required. 00:27:11.879 --> 00:27:14.799 And from him to whom they entrusted much, 00:27:14.799 --> 00:27:17.179 they will demand the more. 00:27:18.359 --> 00:27:20.259 Somber, challenging words. 00:27:21.719 --> 00:27:22.819 Really, what is he saying? 00:27:23.159 --> 00:27:26.679 Unfaithful servants will be treated like unbelievers. 00:27:28.119 --> 00:27:29.959 Indeed, if we live as if we believe 00:27:29.959 --> 00:27:31.599 the master is not coming back, 00:27:32.559 --> 00:27:34.859 and if we will never be held to account, 00:27:35.539 --> 00:27:37.199 then we are living as unbelievers. 00:27:37.919 --> 00:27:39.859 Because all human beings are accountable 00:27:39.859 --> 00:27:42.979 to our Creator. 00:27:42.980 --> 00:27:46.059 We are all, every single one of us, 00:27:46.259 --> 00:27:47.319 accountable to God. 00:27:48.759 --> 00:27:50.019 Especially those of us 00:27:50.019 --> 00:27:52.140 who claim to know Him, 00:27:52.339 --> 00:27:53.680 love Him, and serve Him. 00:27:54.740 --> 00:27:56.099 As Christian disciples, 00:27:56.319 --> 00:27:58.000 we've been entrusted with much, 00:27:58.940 --> 00:27:59.860 and so in a sense, 00:27:59.980 --> 00:28:01.319 much is required of us. 00:28:02.480 --> 00:28:03.559 Here's J.C. Ryle, 00:28:04.019 --> 00:28:04.720 his comments. 00:28:04.720 --> 00:28:07.380 What are we doing ourselves 00:28:07.380 --> 00:28:08.980 with our religious knowledge? 00:28:09.300 --> 00:28:10.740 Are we using it wisely 00:28:10.740 --> 00:28:12.380 and turning it to good account? 00:28:13.180 --> 00:28:14.720 Or are we content 00:28:14.720 --> 00:28:16.040 with the baron saying, 00:28:16.460 --> 00:28:17.600 we know it, we know it, 00:28:18.100 --> 00:28:19.840 and secretly flattering ourselves 00:28:19.840 --> 00:28:21.280 that the knowledge of the Lord's will 00:28:21.280 --> 00:28:22.740 makes us better than others, 00:28:23.140 --> 00:28:24.480 while that will is not done? 00:28:25.920 --> 00:28:27.380 Let us beware of mistakes. 00:28:27.600 --> 00:28:28.160 The day will come 00:28:28.160 --> 00:28:29.380 when knowledge unimproved 00:28:29.380 --> 00:28:30.100 will be found 00:28:30.100 --> 00:28:32.380 the most perilous of possessions. 00:28:33.060 --> 00:28:33.920 Thousands will awake 00:28:33.920 --> 00:28:35.420 to find that in a lower place 00:28:35.420 --> 00:28:36.500 than the most ignorant 00:28:36.500 --> 00:28:37.820 and idolatrous heathen. 00:28:38.720 --> 00:28:40.160 Their knowledge not used, 00:28:40.880 --> 00:28:42.600 their light not followed, 00:28:43.360 --> 00:28:46.019 will only add to their condemnation. 00:28:47.480 --> 00:28:49.660 To despise Jesus Christ, 00:28:50.360 --> 00:28:52.120 to neglect so great a salvation, 00:28:52.480 --> 00:28:54.440 is not a small matter. 00:28:55.039 --> 00:28:56.980 It's a serious rejection 00:28:56.980 --> 00:28:59.360 of His love and authority. 00:29:00.420 --> 00:29:01.320 And so it's important 00:29:01.320 --> 00:29:03.039 that we live in the light 00:29:03.039 --> 00:29:03.680 of the gospel. 00:29:04.519 --> 00:29:05.759 That we love and esteem 00:29:05.759 --> 00:29:07.900 the Lord Jesus in our hearts. 00:29:10.420 --> 00:29:11.940 I remember years ago, 00:29:12.860 --> 00:29:14.400 being in a shop 00:29:14.400 --> 00:29:16.220 with our oldest boy, 00:29:17.039 --> 00:29:17.259 looking, 00:29:17.460 --> 00:29:18.440 he's wanting a poster 00:29:18.440 --> 00:29:19.100 for his room. 00:29:20.360 --> 00:29:21.100 And we were browsing, 00:29:21.340 --> 00:29:22.600 and there was one that stood out. 00:29:22.980 --> 00:29:23.740 And this is how it shows you 00:29:23.740 --> 00:29:25.080 how long ago it was. 00:29:25.140 --> 00:29:26.920 It was from the film Gladiator. 00:29:27.779 --> 00:29:29.920 It was a picture of Russell Crowe 00:29:29.920 --> 00:29:31.460 standing in the arena, 00:29:31.779 --> 00:29:32.220 all in there, 00:29:32.340 --> 00:29:33.080 in all his armor. 00:29:33.079 --> 00:29:34.480 the gladiator. 00:29:34.480 --> 00:29:36.380 And across the picture 00:29:36.380 --> 00:29:38.700 was a line of words 00:29:38.700 --> 00:29:39.360 that read, 00:29:40.640 --> 00:29:42.220 what we do in life 00:29:42.220 --> 00:29:44.720 echoes in eternity. 00:29:44.720 --> 00:29:48.000 what we do in life 00:29:48.000 --> 00:29:49.240 echoes in eternity. 00:29:50.440 --> 00:29:50.819 Friends, 00:29:50.880 --> 00:29:51.700 if we would worship 00:29:51.700 --> 00:29:53.420 and praise Jesus Christ 00:29:53.420 --> 00:29:54.640 for all eternity, 00:29:54.640 --> 00:29:55.799 we need to be worshiping 00:29:55.799 --> 00:29:56.920 and praising Him today. 00:29:56.920 --> 00:30:00.160 we must be living for Him now. 00:30:00.160 --> 00:30:03.060 We must be trusting Him 00:30:03.060 --> 00:30:04.320 this evening. 00:30:05.860 --> 00:30:06.980 Do you love Him? 00:30:07.039 --> 00:30:08.000 Do you trust Him? 00:30:08.240 --> 00:30:09.220 Are you living for Him? 00:30:09.259 --> 00:30:10.420 Are you ready for Him? 00:30:10.420 --> 00:30:13.320 Are you living faithfully? 00:30:13.320 --> 00:30:13.960 Are you living faithfully? 00:30:14.800 --> 00:30:16.500 Are you looking for the return 00:30:16.500 --> 00:30:17.720 of the Lord Jesus Christ 00:30:17.720 --> 00:30:18.360 with hope, 00:30:18.840 --> 00:30:19.700 with longing, 00:30:19.779 --> 00:30:20.580 not with terror, 00:30:21.000 --> 00:30:22.640 but with the joyful expectation 00:30:22.640 --> 00:30:23.380 of those 00:30:23.380 --> 00:30:25.580 who know that their Master is good? 00:30:26.200 --> 00:30:27.200 And when He comes, 00:30:27.300 --> 00:30:28.500 He will gird Himself 00:30:28.500 --> 00:30:29.620 and serve us. 00:30:29.900 --> 00:30:31.680 He will wipe away every tear. 00:30:31.940 --> 00:30:33.240 He will come and welcome us 00:30:33.240 --> 00:30:34.580 into the very joy 00:30:34.580 --> 00:30:35.560 of His presence. 00:30:35.559 --> 00:30:38.319 And the servant 00:30:38.319 --> 00:30:39.240 who's been faithful 00:30:39.240 --> 00:30:41.279 will hear those words 00:30:41.279 --> 00:30:42.539 that make all the watching 00:30:42.539 --> 00:30:43.779 and waiting worthwhile. 00:30:45.139 --> 00:30:46.000 Well done, 00:30:46.119 --> 00:30:47.299 good and faithful servant. 00:30:48.500 --> 00:30:50.559 Enter into the joy 00:30:50.559 --> 00:30:52.019 of the Lord. 00:30:53.779 --> 00:30:55.139 He is full of compassion. 00:30:55.339 --> 00:30:56.179 He's full of mercy. 00:30:56.599 --> 00:30:57.619 He's full of grace. 00:30:59.019 --> 00:31:00.720 Come to Him in all your sin, 00:31:01.259 --> 00:31:01.960 in all your guilt, 00:31:02.039 --> 00:31:03.339 in all your selfishness, 00:31:03.839 --> 00:31:05.480 and receive from Him 00:31:05.480 --> 00:31:06.140 His love 00:31:06.140 --> 00:31:07.740 and His forgiveness. 00:31:08.019 --> 00:31:08.900 And be transformed. 00:31:09.059 --> 00:31:09.559 Be changed. 00:31:09.900 --> 00:31:11.599 Be changed from the inside out. 00:31:12.880 --> 00:31:14.920 Be changed for eternity. 00:31:16.940 --> 00:31:18.579 Friends, be ready for His coming. 00:31:19.839 --> 00:31:21.440 Be faithful in His service. 00:31:23.819 --> 00:31:25.220 There's an old hymn, 00:31:26.259 --> 00:31:28.140 not often sung nowadays. 00:31:30.180 --> 00:31:33.019 It has, as its closing verse, 00:31:33.279 --> 00:31:33.920 these words. 00:31:33.920 --> 00:31:36.960 Let us labor for the Master 00:31:36.960 --> 00:31:39.820 from the dawn to setting sun. 00:31:40.380 --> 00:31:43.380 Let us talk of all His wondrous love 00:31:43.380 --> 00:31:44.380 and care. 00:31:45.519 --> 00:31:47.400 Then when all of life is over 00:31:47.400 --> 00:31:50.200 and our work on earth is done 00:31:50.200 --> 00:31:53.100 and the role is called up yonder, 00:31:54.000 --> 00:31:54.800 I'll be there. 00:31:55.620 --> 00:31:56.640 Let's pray together. 00:31:56.640 --> 00:32:06.020 God, our Father, 00:32:06.020 --> 00:32:08.460 by the power of Your Holy Spirit, 00:32:09.120 --> 00:32:11.160 would You be at work in our hearts 00:32:11.160 --> 00:32:12.400 and our minds 00:32:12.400 --> 00:32:15.480 that we might be a people 00:32:15.480 --> 00:32:18.100 ready for the return 00:32:18.100 --> 00:32:19.940 of the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:32:19.940 --> 00:32:32.600 Lord, make us faithful servants 00:32:32.600 --> 00:32:34.140 of the Lord Jesus 00:32:34.140 --> 00:32:35.460 in these days 00:32:35.460 --> 00:32:39.180 that we might labor for Him 00:32:39.180 --> 00:32:41.640 from dawn to setting sun, 00:32:42.400 --> 00:32:44.620 that we might live 00:32:44.619 --> 00:32:46.559 not for ourselves 00:32:46.559 --> 00:32:49.419 but for His glory. 00:32:50.139 --> 00:32:51.559 And we pray this and ask it 00:32:51.559 --> 00:32:53.059 in Jesus' name. 00:32:53.500 --> 00:32:53.879 Amen.